The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Dutton Books

Publishing Year: 2012

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: Hazel Grace is our protagonist and we follow her story as she battles cancer and the knowledge that she will eventually die. Early in the book she meets Augustus Waters who has lost his leg to cancer and is now in remission. The only thing he fears is oblivion and Hazel believes oblivion to be inevitable. The Fault In Our Stars follows their story from the first time they meet and tells their love story.

I always promise myself I won't read any book where a character has cancer. It never ends well and I usually cry my bloody eyes out. Lurlene McDaniel destroyed my heart early on and I've never gotten over her novel 'A Rose For Melinda'. And yet here I am writing a review for a book filled with cancer. That being said what originally drew my attention to this novel was the movie adaption I'm sad to say. For me it usually goes that I read the book then see the movie. But not this time, I heard nothing but amazing reviews and comments about it. So I watched it and cried and then made my boyfriend watch it. He cried also.

So having already seen the movie, and knowing the ending I was sure I wouldn't let the book hit me on any kind of emotional level. I was wrong. The book delivered the same amount of heart-string tugging that the film did. All in all it was a good read and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others. The only reason it loses two points from my rating is Hazel Grace. I found it difficult to relate to her. In the movie she seemed more sophisticated and wise, but not so much in the book. In the novel she came across more emotional and more prone to mood swings.  Now I have to say that this is my personal opinion, because knowing how many people love this book there are plenty of readers out there to disagree with me.

Rather than end on that sour note I would like to point out my favorite part from the novel. "It's a metaphor, see: you put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing." In this quote Augustus held a cigarette in his mouth and Hazel Grace flipped her lid. Reasonable considering cigarettes are linked to cancer and he was in remission. I know it's a popular one but it is indeed my absolute favorite. It was quirky and made Augustus, or Gus if you prefer, stand out and defined him nicely as a character.

Inventing Elliot by Graham Gardner

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Publishing year: 2004
Publisher: Dial Books:
Rating: 3/5

Synopsis:

When fourteen-year-old Elliot Sutton arrives at Holminster High, he is determined not to stand out. He simply can’t let himself become a target like he was at his last school. He’s going to invent a whole new Elliot. The new Elliot is tough, impenetrable. Enter the Guardians. A group of upperclassmen that secretly rule over Holminster with a quiet and anonymous terror. Obsessed with George Orwell’s book 1984, they desire power for the sake of power. And strangely enough, they want Elliot. Not to terrorize…but to become one of them. Everyone knows that if the Guardians notice you in the wrong way, life will be miserable. But as Elliot soon discovers, even if they notice you in the right way, there will be some terrifying choices to face.

Review:

Genuinely a good book but I can’t help having mixed feelings about it. At 181 pages, it’s one of the shortest books I’ve read in a long time. I think this counts against the book only because it limits the amount of detail that can be squeezed into such a tight page count.

I wish the author had gone into more detail about Elliot’s father for a start. The physical injuries were described well but it wasn’t clear what the current situation is. The impression I got was that his father’s spirit was broken. He seems capable of moving about but he never speaks through the course of the novel. I wonder if after the beating, something may have damaged his mental health. Perhaps his brain was oxygen deprived for an extended period. At any rate, I would have preferred a clear reason.

1984 by George Orwell is referenced dozens of times in this book and if this book accomplished nothing else, it did stir my interest for this book. I will probably read it sooner rather than later.

Elliot’s determination to never be a victim again is the fundamental reason he falls in with the Guardians. His fear of being beaten and humiliated is very well conveyed. The process of choosing a punisher, punishment, and selection was self-explanatory. Just not the standards that they use to choose a victim. At first I had the understanding the Guardians were a vigilante group. Wrong understanding.

Upon finishing the book I believe the victims are chosen by the whimsy of whoever is doing the choosing. If I had to describe it with a phrase I would say, ‘organized bullying’. I just would have enjoyed a method to this madness.

One more thing bothered me. The ending. My issue with it: it wasn’t an ending. But wait there is more. It’s a standalone so there is no sequel. There is a feeling of hope at the end and Elliot has done a substantial amount of growing as a character over the past 180 pages. There are good points. There are just too many loose ends, to call this an ending. His farther is still a silent man who spends his days watching TV. His mom is still overworked and has no true idea of the turmoil Elliot is going through. Louise, his love interest, is still on the fence about him and for good reason, nothing has been resolved there. In summary, nothing has been resolved. Elliot has made a decision, that much is clear, but none of the consequences are mentioned. I am left with a tiny voice speaking in the back of my brain saying, “…And then?”

Besides those three things, the book was great. The pace was delightfully quick and was written in smooth even prose. It wasn’t made for suspense but I had to finish it and that’s a good thing.

Question: If you were given the chance for a fresh start at a different school, workplace, or city, would you take it? Would you be yourself or adjust your personality, attitude, and dress to suit the environment?